nature and nurture in suburban spaces

The small town of Port Nolloth’s history is centred on what used to be called “nature’s bounty”, specifically the exploitation of seals, then copper and then diamonds.

The first small settlement was established back in the late 1700s, the attraction being a nearby Cape Fur Seal colony. The bay was then named Robbe Baai (Seal Bay) and large numbers of seals were killed for their pelts and the meat (dried for export) and oil that their bodies provided. For a sobering assessment of the slaughter of seals including the extinction of 23 breeding colonies in the Cape in the 300-year period, 1600 to 1899, see here.

In the 1850s the renamed Port Nolloth established a port for the export of copper mined from further inland, with a narrow gauge railway line opened in 1876 to transport the copper from the mines to the port. The railway operated until 1942, after which copper was transported by road. Copper mining in Namaqualand has declined significantly and no large mining companies operate in the area currently.

In 1925 the first alluvial diamonds were discovered offshore. Today, although reserves are depleted, the seabed is still dredged for diamonds. Port Nolloth remains a base for the small diamond boats and attendant divers that relentlessly dredge the seabed, sucking up everything on the ocean floor, in their quest for diamonds. For an interesting take on their endeavours see here.

Nowadays fishing, particularly for crayfish, remains a mainstay of the town’s economy. The fuel tanks in the photograph stand as an unacknowledged monument to all this activity; with the seals, copper and diamonds gone or depleted and fish stocks also diminishing, hopefully small-seaside-town tourism will provide continuing income in a town where one of the most notable attractions is a museum dedicated to its past.

The photo of the storage tanks above I edited using PhotoScape to achieve a more sculptural effect. The original photo is below.

Posted by Carol

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naturebackin

Sharing insights and celebrating the creatures and plants that inhabit and enrich suburban spaces, with images mostly from my own garden in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands in South Africa and sometimes from further afield.

I like the photo edit. It gives the photo an ‘artist’s rendition’ appearance. I like, too, the brief history of the town. In some ways it could be anywhere in the world since it seems like every country has towns that boomed at some point, then faded once they’d exhausted whatever bounty was being exploited.

Very cool photo editing. Exploitation is the name of the game. We live not far from a designated wilderness that the current clown in the White House is trying to open to mining. It would affect our watershed, not to mention the salmon and trout fishing. There doesn’t seem to be any end in sight.

The assault on the little wilderness that remains is starkly real when in one’s own neighbourhood. I hope that sense prevails and your protected area remains protected even in the face of short-sighted self interest.

This story is repeated the world over: wherever there is something to be exploited, humans have done and still do.
I very much like your altered version of the photo: it has an interesting etched effect.

When I saw your first image it really intrigued me and I wondered what you’d done. Then I was so happy when you showed the original and explained the difference. I usually prefer an original to an edited version but what you’ve done is magnificent – I really like the simplicity and structure of your first image!

Thanks so much for the feedback Liz – I am interested to know that you like the altered image. All I did was apply the ‘watercolour pencil’ pictorial effect (using PhotoScape), which is one of the few such effects that I think can bring an interesting dimension to a photo.